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How Much Is Health Insurance per Month in California? 2026 Costs for One Person, a Family of 3 or 4, and the 2027 Rates
Written and reviewed by Dick Tracy, licensed health insurance broker (NPN 20414610) · Published September 18, 2026
Quick answer For one 40-year-old in California in 2026, health insurance averages $440 a month for the lowest-cost Bronze plan, $570 for the benchmark Silver, and $572 for the lowest-cost Gold, before any subsidy, according to KFF. Age moves it most: by the federal age curve a 21-year-old lands near $446 for that Silver, a 60-year-old near $1,210, and a family of four with two 40-year-old parents near $1,822. Region matters too: sample benchmark prices run from $459 in West Los Angeles to $889 in Monterey. Rates rose 10.3% on average for 2026, and the preliminary 2027 increase is 9.9%. Your health does not change the price on the individual market. I educate, you decide.
I'm Dick Tracy, an independent health insurance broker. I'm licensed in California (NPN 20414610), one of 25 states I hold a license in, and I work with 80+ carriers. My office is in Buffalo, New York, and I work with Californians on the phone or on Zoom with the documents on the screen. No gag clause on me. The trap on this page: an "average" hides the four things that decide your real number, which are your age, your region, your household, and your income.
age 40, 2026, before subsidy
age 40, 2026
increase for 2027
Sources: KFF, average marketplace premiums by metal tier, 2026; Covered California, 2027 rates announcement, July 21, 2026.
What is the average cost of health insurance in California per month?
KFF takes the lowest-cost plan in each metal tier, plus the second-lowest Silver (the "benchmark" subsidies are built on), for a 40-year-old in every county, weighted by where people enroll. These are full prices, before any subsidy.
| 2026 monthly average, age 40, before subsidy | California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest-cost Bronze | $440 | $456 |
| Benchmark (second-lowest) Silver | $570 | $625 |
| Lowest-cost Gold | $572 | $615 |
Source: KFF State Health Facts, average marketplace premiums by metal tier, 2026. KFF has not published 2027 averages yet.
California runs a little under the national average at every tier. Tobacco does not move your price here: federal rules allow up to 1.5 times more, but CMS lists California's tobacco ratio as 1:1, which means no surcharge.
How much is health insurance in California for one person, by age?
Federal law lets a carrier charge an older adult up to three times what it charges a 21-year-old, and no more (45 CFR 147.102). CMS publishes the exact curve, and California uses it. That lets me turn KFF's age-40 average into an estimate for other ages. Estimates, not quotes. The method is under the table.
| Age in 2026 | Federal age factor | Lowest Bronze (est.) | Benchmark Silver (est.) | Lowest Gold (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, 0 to 14 | 0.765 | $263 | $341 | $342 |
| Age 18 | 0.913 | $314 | $407 | $409 |
| Age 21 to 24 | 1.000 | $344 | $446 | $448 |
| Age 30 | 1.135 | $391 | $506 | $508 |
| Age 35 | 1.222 | $421 | $545 | $547 |
| Age 40 (KFF's published average) | 1.278 | $440 | $570 | $572 |
| Age 45 | 1.444 | $497 | $644 | $646 |
| Age 50 | 1.786 | $615 | $797 | $799 |
| Age 55 | 2.230 | $768 | $995 | $998 |
| Age 60 | 2.714 | $934 | $1,210 | $1,215 |
| Age 64 and older | 3.000 | $1,033 | $1,338 | $1,343 |
Estimate, not a published rate. Method: KFF's 2026 California average at age 40, times the federal age factor for each age, divided by the age-40 factor of 1.278, rounded to the nearest dollar. Sources: KFF, 2026 average premiums; CMS, Guidance Regarding Age Curves, Appendix I; CMS, state-specific rating variations (California uses the federal default curve). Real premiums vary by region and plan.
How much is health insurance by region: Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, the Bay Area?
California has 19 rating regions. Covered California published sample 2026 prices for a 40-year-old in 14 of them: before subsidy, one zip code per region, preliminary as of August 1, 2025, so final rates may differ slightly. The last two columns are each region's average rate change.
| Rating region | Lowest Bronze 2026, age 40 | Benchmark Silver 2026, age 40 | 2026 average change | 2027 average change (preliminary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1: 22 northern counties (Butte, Humboldt, Shasta) | $679 | $838 | 11.1% | 10.1% |
| 2: Marin, Napa, Solano, Sonoma | $526 | $644 | 8.8% | 8.0% |
| 3: Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Yolo | $520 | $638 | 7.4% | 9.0% |
| 4: San Francisco | n/a | n/a | 9.0% | 9.7% |
| 5: Contra Costa | n/a | n/a | 7.7% | 8.3% |
| 6: Alameda | $529 | $727 | 7.9% | 8.4% |
| 7: Santa Clara | n/a | n/a | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| 8: San Mateo | n/a | n/a | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| 9: Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz | $519 | $889 | 10.8% | 10.0% |
| 10: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Tulare, Mariposa | $479 | $621 | 11.4% | 10.8% |
| 11: Fresno, Kings, Madera | $452 | $559 | 12.9% | 11.8% |
| 12: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura | $514 | $630 | 8.5% | 11.6% |
| 13: Mono, Inyo, Imperial | $416 | $581 | 12.9% | 14.9% |
| 14: Kern | n/a | n/a | 10.2% | 11.4% |
| 15: Los Angeles, northeast | $347 | $463 | 10.5% | 8.5% |
| 16: Los Angeles, southwest | $367 | $459 | 10.0% | 9.3% |
| 17: San Bernardino, Riverside | $426 | $464 | 12.5% | 9.8% |
| 18: Orange | $428 | $521 | 10.4% | 10.4% |
| 19: San Diego | $432 | $490 | 11.8% | 13.1% |
| Statewide | 10.3% | 9.9% |
Sample premiums: Covered California, 2026 Regional Bronze and Silver Rates (preliminary, under regulatory review when published; n/a means the region is not in the deck). 2026 changes: Covered California rates announcement, August 14, 2025. 2027 changes: as reported in Covered California's July 21, 2026 announcement, preliminary until state review ends.
The spread is the story. The benchmark Silver sample is $459 in West Los Angeles and $889 in Monterey: same age, same state, nearly double. The lowest prices are in Los Angeles. The highest are on the Central Coast and in the far north.
What about the average cost of a PPO?
Nobody publishes a verified statewide PPO average, so I will not invent one. The same deck shows the pattern. In Sacramento the lowest Silver is $611 and a Blue Shield PPO Silver is $1,001. In San Diego it is $475 against an $843 PPO. You pay more because you are buying a wider network, and in the big metros the cheap plans are HMOs. In the far north it flips: the lowest-cost Bronze in Region 1 is a Blue Shield PPO at $679. More on my PPO health insurance in California page.
How much is health insurance for a family of 3 or a family of 4 in California?
There is no "family rate." Under federal rule, a family premium is built by adding up each person's own premium, and CMS confirms California prices per member. Every adult is rated at their own age. Only the three oldest children under 21 are charged. A fourth adds nothing.
By the same age-curve method, a child under 15 adds about $341 a month on an average benchmark Silver. Add the pieces:
| Household (2026, before subsidy) | Lowest Bronze (est.) | Benchmark Silver (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| One adult, age 40 | $440 | $570 |
| Couple, both 40 | $880 | $1,140 |
| Family of 3: two adults at 40, one child under 15 | $1,143 | $1,481 |
| Family of 4: two adults at 40, two children under 15 | $1,406 | $1,822 |
| Family of 4: two adults at 50, two children under 15 | $1,756 | $2,276 |
Estimate, not a published rate. Method: each member's estimate from the age table above, summed per 45 CFR 147.102(c)(1). Sources: KFF; CMS age curve. Region can move these well up or down.
A family of four near $1,822 a month is a mortgage payment, which is why the subsidy question comes next.
How much is Covered California per month after the subsidy in 2026 and 2027?
2026 changed the math. The enhanced federal premium credits expired at the end of 2025. As of Covered California's July 2026 rate announcement, Congress had not extended them.
In dollars, per Covered California's February 2026 policy explainer:
- The 400% cliff is back. Over 400% of the federal poverty level, you are "not eligible" for any federal credit. Covered California's examples put 200% at $31,300 for one person, so the cliff sits at $62,600 for a single adult and $128,600 for a family of four.
- Under the cliff, you pay more. Between 300% and 400%, your expected share of the benchmark plan is now 9.96% of income. The old cap was 8.5%.
- At 200% of poverty it still works well. Covered California's example: a 40-year-old earning $31,300 pays $171 a month for the benchmark Silver in every region shown, whether the sticker is $459 or $889.
- California's own subsidy for 2026 is narrow. $190 million, keeping the old, richer subsidy up to 150% of poverty ($23,475 for one person, $48,225 for a family of four) and trimming premiums up to 165%. Above that, nothing extra. About 389,590 people get it, averaging $45 a month, per Covered California's February 26, 2026 release.
- For 2027 the state help gets bigger. $300 million, reaching up to 200% of poverty ($31,920 for one person, $66,000 for a family of four), with more than 500,000 people projected to qualify (July 21, 2026 announcement).
Watch the cliff work. Take a single 60-year-old, where my estimate for the average benchmark Silver is $1,210 a month. At $62,000 of income, the 9.96% rule has them paying about $515, and the credit covers about $695. At $62,601 the credit is zero and the whole $1,210 is theirs. Cross the line and roughly $8,340 a year is gone. The math doesn't math, and it is the law anyway. (My estimate from KFF's average, not a quote.)
If your income is well under the cliff, a subsidized plan or Medi-Cal may be your best deal, and I will tell you so. Check your line on my Covered California income limits 2026 page and run the subsidy calculator, preset for California. The trade-offs: mostly HMO and EPO regional networks, an income estimate you must get right, and credits you repay at tax time if you guess low. Dates for next year are on my open enrollment 2027 page.
How does that compare with what an employer plan costs in California?
If you have only had coverage through a job, you have never seen the full price. Your employer paid most of it. Here are the California averages from the federal employer survey, as published by KFF.
| California employer plan, average per year | Total premium | Employer pays | Worker pays | Worker pays per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single coverage | $9,162 | $7,647 | $1,515 | about $126 |
| Employee plus one | $18,827 | $13,668 | $5,159 | about $430 |
| Family coverage | $27,057 | $19,210 | $7,847 | about $654 |
Source: KFF State Health Facts, from the AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component, most recent year published: single, employee plus one, family. US average totals: $9,025 single, $26,281 family. Monthly figures are my division by 12.
That is about $764 a month for one person and about $2,255 for a family. The worker just does not see it. So when the individual market quotes $570, it feels like a robbery. It is closer to the same price with nobody else chipping in. It is also why COBRA bills shock people.
Does being healthy lower the cost of health insurance in California?
On the individual market, no. California individual plans, on or off the exchange, cannot ask health questions and cannot price on your health. A marathon runner and a person with three prescriptions pay the same rate. That protects sick people, and it should. But the healthy-person discount that exists in Texas or Florida does not exist here.
That is exactly why the group door matters in California. Employer benefit plans are governed by federal law, ERISA, passed in 1974. Group plans already exist under it, and a solo owner or a small business's people can be merged into one. You get group rates, a true nationwide PPO network of the PHCS and MultiPlan type, and a policy the person owns. The employer can be the payer. No employees are required, and there is one simple compliance step I walk you through. I call it the ERISA cheat code. Anyone who quotes your premium without asking is guessing, so I will not print one.
Healthy, self-employed, income over the 400% cliff
Price the pre-established ERISA group plan first. You are paying full freight either way, so compare group rates and a real PPO against the individual price. All four California doors, in order, are here.
Income under the subsidy lines
A subsidized plan or Medi-Cal may be your best deal. At 200% of poverty the benchmark Silver is $171 a month, and nothing private beats that.
Small business owner with a few employees
Three routes, and I price all of them. A traditional fully insured small group plan, the pre-established ERISA group merge, or no group plan at all: often cost-effective customized individual plans beat a one-size-fits-all group plan. If you contribute, pick a flat dollar amount per person. Small business health insurance in California.
A serious diagnosis in the last five years
Guaranteed-issue coverage, for now. The no-health-questions rule was written for you. Take it, get well, and we revisit later.
Tempted to skip coverage instead? California charges a tax penalty for that, and you still have nothing on the day something happens. A low Bronze premium can be the right tank, with a fixed indemnity or accident plan layered on top as secondary coverage, never as the only coverage. What kind of tank should we build?
Common questions about what health insurance costs in California
How much is health insurance in California per month?
For a 40-year-old in 2026, the California average before any subsidy is $440 a month for the lowest-cost Bronze plan, $570 for the benchmark Silver plan, and $572 for the lowest-cost Gold plan, according to KFF. Your own price depends on your age, your rating region, the plan, and who is on the policy. It does not depend on your health or tobacco use.
How much is health insurance in California for one person?
It depends mostly on age. Applying the CMS federal age curve to KFF's 2026 California average of $570 a month for a benchmark Silver plan at age 40, one person pays an estimated $446 at 21, $506 at 30, $797 at 50, $1,210 at 60, and $1,338 at 64, before any subsidy. These are estimates, not quotes, and region moves them.
How much is health insurance for a family of 4 in California?
About $1,406 a month for the lowest-cost Bronze and about $1,822 for a benchmark Silver in 2026, before any subsidy, for two 40-year-old parents and two children under 15. That is my estimate from KFF's California average at age 40 and the CMS federal age curve. Family premiums are the sum of each member's own rate, and only the three oldest children under 21 are charged.
How much is health insurance for a family of 3 in California?
About $1,143 a month for the lowest-cost Bronze and about $1,481 for a benchmark Silver in 2026, before any subsidy, for two 40-year-old parents and one child under 15. That is an estimate from KFF's California averages and the CMS age curve. There is no flat family rate: each person is priced at their own age, and a child under 15 adds about $341 to a Silver plan.
What is the average cost of health insurance in California for a 40 year old?
KFF's 2026 figures for a 40-year-old in California are $440 a month for the lowest-cost Bronze plan, $570 for the benchmark Silver, and $572 for the lowest-cost Gold, before subsidies. Region changes that a lot. Covered California's preliminary 2026 sample prices for a 40-year-old show a benchmark Silver of $459 in West Los Angeles, $638 in Sacramento, and $889 in Monterey.
How much is private health insurance per month in California?
Individual plans bought privately in California follow the same rating rules as Covered California plans: age, region, and plan set the price, with no health questions, so a healthy person gets no discount. Expect the range KFF reports for 2026, $440 to $572 a month at age 40. The private route priced differently is group coverage, including a pre-established ERISA group plan a self-employed person can join, with group rates and a nationwide PPO network.
How much is Covered California health insurance per month?
Before subsidies, the 2026 average at age 40 is $440 for the lowest Bronze and $570 for the benchmark Silver, per KFF. After subsidies it depends on income. Covered California's own 2026 example shows a 40-year-old earning $31,300 paying $171 a month for the benchmark Silver. Above 400% of the poverty level ($62,600 for one person) there is no federal credit at all, because the enhanced credits expired at the end of 2025.
What is the average cost of PPO health insurance in California?
No verified statewide PPO average is published. Covered California's preliminary 2026 sample rates for a 40-year-old show the pattern: in Sacramento the lowest Silver is $611 a month and a Blue Shield PPO Silver is $1,001, and in San Diego it is $475 against $843. PPOs cost more because the network is wider. A group plan with a nationwide PPO network is the other way to get one.
Thirty minutes on the phone or Zoom, no fee, no hard sell. Bring your age, county, who is on the policy, a rough income number, and how you use care. I put the California doors that fit you side by side, with real prices from real carriers. I educate, you decide.
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